Vehicle engine operates at high temperature, high revolution per minute and at extreme conditions. Engine wear happens between engine moving parts and engine oil is used to provide lubrication between engine moving parts to reduce engine wear. Friction between steel moving parts produces ferrous particles.
An oil filter is used to remove the ferrous particles. Oil filter uses a strainer in the form of metal or paper to remove ferrous particles and other contaminants. Some of these ferrous particles are smaller than the mesh size of the filter element, thus, these microscopic ferrous particles can bypass the filter element, and as the result causes more abrasive wear. Vehicles need to change engine oil and oil filter regularly to maintain the engine.
Magnets are introduced to the oil filter to remove ferrous particles. A magnet is placed near the oil filter inlet to attract ferrous material. It was found that magnet can reduce these ferrous particles.
Initially, magnets were built in as part of an oil filter. Used oil filter are always disposed. Regular changing and disposal of oil filter with magnet is not resource friendly. Magnets need not to be disposed as it is still capable to attract ferrous material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,540 disclosed an external magnetic assembly for an oil filter. The assembly includes a ferrous flux band. The band is provided with few magnetic members arranged next to each other so that it has alternating regions of polarity. The magnetic band can be attached by itself to the casing of oil filter, which is usually made of steel. The band can be detached from the oil filter when the oil filter needs to be replaced. Hence, the same band can be used again for every oil change.
MY 131,072 described another external magnetic assembly for an oil filter. The assembly includes a band with few adjustable housing units so that it can be adapted into a band having different radius so that it can fit most sizes of oil filter case. Each housing unit is provided with a disc magnet. Hence, disc magnets are placed at a distance along a circumference of the casing. The assembly can be retained in every oil filter change.
Magnets are limited resource and the price of magnet is not stable. In view of conserving the number of magnets to be used while maintaining effective removal of ferrous material, an improved assembly for oil filter is proposed.